Visiting the locations of hot springs
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Tenjin hot spring
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Gokuraku hot spring
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carbonated hot spring
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Gosho hot spring
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Ariake hot spring
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Uwanari hot spring
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Taikou hot spring（a place for drinking spring water）
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Parks and Places of interest
Zuihou-ji Park
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| Autumn leaves at Zuihou-ji Park |
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Taiko-daki |
This park is one of the most famous places for autumn leaves in Hyogo prefecture There is a go stone board that was once habitually used by Taikou Hideyoshi.
Tsutsumigadaki Park
The origin of the name comes from the sound of falling water coming from the basin among dense woods was like the beat of Japanese hand drums. Pure water flowing from Mt. Rokko is falling down swiftly. This is one of the most suitable places for forest bathing. On early summer evening, plenty of fireflies fly around here and Japanese river frogs croak in beautiful chorus.
Atagoyama Park
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| From Tosen Shrine |
Tengu-Iwa(rock) |
Arima townscape veiled with snow |
Kobushi and cherry
flowers at Mt. Atago |
In the middle of Mt. Atago, there is a grove of ume (Japanese apricot) trees and “a turtle stone bowl for washing hands” which is said to have been loved by Hideyoshi. From this park, you can enjoy the whole view of Arima Hot Springs surrounded by mountains. The townscape is veiled in hot spring steam giving a great deal of atmosphere. Especially, kobushi flowers blooming in the middle of April is too beautiful to miss.
Yukemuri Square
  If you start from Arima Onsen Station and go right, you can see Yukemuri Square. At the center of the square, there is a waterfall expressing hot spring steam, and on the right-hand side, a figure of Taikou Hideyoshi who greatly loved Arima Hot Springs is facing that of Nene across Arima River.
Tamoto(kimono sleeve)-Ishi(Stone)
 Tamoto-Ishi is a stone ornamented with Churen-Nawa(ropes), 3 meters long and 3 meters wide. This is located near Taikou Bridge. The stone is about 5 meters high, about 19 meters around, and weighs about 130t. It is said that “Kumanokusuminomikoto”, the God of Tosen Shrine, took a small stone out of his kimono sleeve and threw it at a rowdy (the lord of Matsunaga Castle who rode on a dappled gray horse and shot Kumanokusuminomikoto with an arrow which had white feathers and a bow of Shigeto), and then the stone became very big. It is also said that this is the stone Oonamuchinomikoto threw to wish he could overcome his disease. Since then, no one can bring a dappled gray horse, a bow of Shigeto and an arrow with white feathers to Arima. If you do so, it would suddenly become cloudy and begin to rain heavily. Please be careful.
Kame-no-o-daki (waterfall like a turtle’s tail)
 Kame-no-o-daki is a narrow waterfall like a turtle’s tail which flows down beside a small shrine of Fudomyou-ou on the left-hand side of Yukemuri-zaka. On a rock on the left of the fall was engraved a word “AKEZAKURA” with the signature and seal of Kameda Kyuraku, a calligrapher, who lived in Kyoto in the eighteenth century.
Jigoku(hell)-dani(valley)
 
You will almost miss this site located on the left along the way from Zuiho-ji Park to Tsutsumigadaki. At the foot of Mt. Atago, there were three hot springs giving off carbon dioxide. Because birds or insects approaching here mostly died, this place was called a hell for birds, a hell for insects or carbon dioxide hell. At present, there is only a stone mark left.
Negai-no-niwa(Garden of wishes)
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| Figures of three crows |
Statue of Gyoki Bosatsu |
There is a small dry landscape garden in front of Nenbutsu-dera Temple, and a statue of Gyoki who was a benefactor for Arima Hot Springs is standing on the left, and figures of three crows which let Oonamuranomikoto know Arima hot springs are on the right.
Nene (Taiko’s wife) Bridge
  Nene Bridge with bright red railings is located almost in the center of the town. Nene built a villa in Arima and must have spent a peaceful time bathing at Kinsen with Hideyoshi and forgotten about battles or war.
Shrines ane Temples
Onsen Zen Temple (Oubaku Sect)
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The image of Gyouki |
The image of Ninsai |
The standing image of Haira-Taishou |
This temple was built by the Buddhist, Gyouki, who was conducted by Yakushi-Nyorai(Buddha who deals with medicine) to Arima Hot Springs in 724. Wooden images of Gyouki and Ninsai are enshrined, and they are purified by the first hot spring of the year in Irizomeshiki on January 2 every year. This temple possesses a lot of other treasures, such as a standing image of Haira-Taishou(an important cultural property) at the main shrine of this temple.
Onsen-ji Misoshi-an(museum)
 Picture scrolls are exhibited here and teach us the lives of Gyouki and Ninsai and the history of Arima Hot Springs. You can also enjoy viewing Arima’s compendium of seasonal words and main notable sites by photographs and video.
Tosen Shrine
 This enshrines Oonamuchinomikoto, Sukunahikonanomikoto and kumanokusuminomikoto who are said to have discovered Arima first.
This shrine is named “Onsen Jinja” in some materials and called “Tousen Jinja,” “Touzen Jinja,” “Yuno Jinja,” or so on, according to the materials, but generally called “Tousen Jinja.” According to “Engishiki” Jinnachou, this shrine is recorded as “Yuno Jinja” together with Arima Jinja and Kouchi Jinja in Arima-gun of Settsu-koku.
The photographs are of Arima’s children playing in the first snow of the year.
Gokuraku-ji Temple (Joudo Sect)
 This temple is dedicated to Amitabha. It enshrines Hiyoke Kannon and possesses Niso-Taimenn-zu of Hounen-Shonin and Zendou-Taishi.
Myouken-ji Temple (Nichiren Sect)
At this temple on the top of Mt. Ochiba, you can enjoy the whole view from Tanba Sasayama to Suma.
Hosen-ji Temple (Joudoshinshu Sect)
 This temple belongs to Jodoshinshu Nishihongan-ji Sect. There is a big standing statue of Housen Kannon just beside Tsuesute-bashi(bridge) in the precincts.
Zenpuku-ji Temple (Zen-Soto Sect)
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| Autumn Leaves |
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Amidado-gama(kettle) |
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The image of
Shotoku-Taishi |
If you climb up a stone stairway before you get to the Tourist Information Center, you will see the main gate of Zenpuku-ji Temple. It was founded by Gyoki and rebuilt by Ninsai. The image of Shoutoku-Taishi was a work in the fourteenth century and designated as a national important cultural property. Single-petaled flowers of a weeping cherry tree which is more than 200 years old is called Itozakura and designated as one of the trees of Kobe residents’. A big iron teakettle is named “Amidado-gama(kettle)”, because Hideyoshi ordered Rikyu to have Tenkaichi-Yojiro make it like the shape of the chief priest’s head at Amidado. Cherry Blossoms Tea Ceremony is held after the Cherry Blossoms Festival on April every year.
Rinkei-ji Temple (Joudoshinshu Sect)
 This was an annex of Higashi Honganji and called “Arima Gobou” in the Edo era. A ume(Japanese apricot) tree with red blossoms in the precincts is more than 200 years old and was named Mikaibeni by Juukyuuse-Jounyo-Shounin, because the buds were also red even before they opened. Women who ate these fruits were believed to be blessed with children, so that this tree has been called “Harami-no-ume” or “Nimushin-no-ume.”
Arima Inari Shrine
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| Kobushi flowers are in bloom on Mt. Iba |
This shrine is located in the middle of Mt. Iba and is famous for kobushi flowers. You need enough physical strength to climb up a long stairway leading to the temple.
Nenbutsu-ji Temple (Joudo Sect)
  This is considered a villa of Kita-no-Mandokoro ( Nene ), Hideyoshi’s legal wife. Its beautiful garden is called “Sarajuen”, because it has a giant Sarasouju(summer camellia) tree which is about 250 years old and blooms most beautifully in the middle of June. Ju-Roujin, one of the Kobe Seven Fukujin Meguri, is enshrined here.
An event of Appreciation of the Sara flowers is held in June every year, when the flowers are in full bloom.
Facilities and Reference Libraries
Arima Atelier
 Arima Atelier introduces history and culture of Arima through many events like Gouts Festival in July or Arima Japanese Tea Ceremony in November held at the exhibition hall or the all-purpose hall of its Onsen Gallery.
Taikou-no-Yudonokan (a historical museum) run by Kobe City
 This is a reference library retaining Hideyoshi’s Yuyama-Goten(palace) of those days which was discovered after 400 years when they tried to rebuiid Library of Gokuraku-ji destroyed by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The garden was covered with 1-meter-high earth, but the building was restored as it were in those days.
Hideyoshi’s Yuyama-Goten(palace) was destroyed by Tokugawa family, who built Gokuraku-ji and Nenbutsu-ji at the vacant lot where it used to be.
Townscape with red posts in Arima
Amusement facilities for families
| Arima Wanda Garden |
You can enjoy playing with many dogs here. |
| Trout Pond |
You can have trout cooked on the spot soon after fishing them. |
| P0R0uoJ Bowl Arima |
A Bowling alley in Arima Hot Springs |
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